


Don't Leave

by Arella_Kinder



Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-09-01 06:50:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20253946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arella_Kinder/pseuds/Arella_Kinder
Summary: An added bit of insanity to Snatcher who, after countless years of being either revered or feared, is unable to let this breath of fresh air known as Hat Kid leave. So much so that when Hattie tries to leave, Snatcher kinda… snaps. He didn’t really MEAN to take her soul, but... at least now she can’t leave...





	Don't Leave

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Puppet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15758703) by [ImmortalCoelacanth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImmortalCoelacanth/pseuds/ImmortalCoelacanth). 

> Inspired by the fanfiction Puppet, by Immortal Coelacanth, mostly these lines:  
“Oh poor Snatcher, so alone once again, abandoned by the one he grew to care about…”  
“...that child reminded you of what your life used to be like before you met her, and you miss that. A void has opened up in you, and now you want nothing more than for those friendly interactions to happen once again…”  
“You can take her soul...she’ll be here for all eternity, and you’ll never have to be alone again.”

Hat kid waved goodbye to the people (sans Snatcher, strangely) that had clinging onto her ship before shutting the door and plopping down onto her in chair. She paused, and couldn't stop herself from tearing up a little. She really did have fun here…  
Wiping her eyes with a wet chuckle she reached for the throttle only to nearly jump out of her skin as a voice rather loudly called out from behind her.  
“Hold on a sec, kiddo!” The voice shouted, and HK immediately knew who it was.  
“Snatcher? What are you doing here?” Hattie asked as she spun around. Indeed, there the ever-grinning ghost stood, though his grin did seem a little off.  
“I came to catch you before you left, what else!” He laughed, but it didn’t hold the same trickster mirth it typically did. His grin wavered for a split second as Hat Kid stared him down, hands on her hips.  
“You’re lucky I’ve yet to turn back on my active security system.” The child huffed, crossing her arms. “What do you want? I need to get going!”  
“What, you don’t want to see your BFF?” Snatcher chuckled, but it faded as Hat Kid only raised a skeptical brow. He sighed. “Alright, alright. Look kid, I want to make another contract with you.” The shadow snapped, summoning a contract scroll.  
Now it was Hat Kid’s turn to sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Snatcher, did you not hear me? I need to go! I can’t stay.”  
For the first time since the hatted child had met him, the spectre's smile started to drop. "Aw c'mon, kid! You didn't even read it!" He protested. "What's the big rush, anyway?"  
Hattie’s face dropped sadly. “I’ve already been gone for so long, and I can’t risk people getting their hands on the Time Pieces again! I do like it here, but-”  
Well if you like it here, just stay here!” Snatcher cut in, grinning again. “Just lock up your ship real tight this time with the Time Pieces inside and you’re good to go! Besides, whatever you had out there can’t be that important: I mean, no one ever came to get you, did they?”  
Hat Kid metaphorically stumbled.It was true: why hadn’t anyone even contacted her, the little girl out in space on her own? Sure, she was strong, but...  
The child looked down and away, seeming to sag. In contrast, Snatcher’s grin grew. He floated over and started ushering HK towards the hatch. “Now there there, kiddo, you can just stay in Subcon! My minions really took a liking to you, kid: I’m sure they’d welcome you!”  
Hat Kid didn’t resist, lost in thought and rising emotions. She was only brought back to the present when Snatcher’s claws tapped against the glass of her front viewing window. She recoiled: what was she doing, she had to GO! Her ship was, now obviously, not nearly as secure as she would like, so the Time Pieces still weren’t safe, a-and surely people were looking for her! The child backed up- straight into Snatcher’s guiding claw.  
“N-no, I’m sure they’re looking for me, I have to go!” Hattie stammered.  
Snatcher’s eye twitched, and his grin grew strained. “C’mon now, kid! Don’t make this more difficult then it has to be! You belong down there in my Forest, and there’s work to be done!”  
Hat Kid furiously shook her head in response, spinning to return to her chair- only for Snatcher’s clawed hand to swiftly close around her, holding her fast.  
“Look kid, I’ll be honest with you, life in Subcon has gotten a lot… brighter since you showed up, and, well, my minions may not have been the only ones who got attached. So I’m afraid I can’t let you leave m-my forest behind you.” Snatcher’s grin was still there when he turned his head to look at her, but deep in his eyes he looked almost… desperate.  
Hat Kid hesitated for the slightest beat, surprised to see Snatcher like that, and that was all the spectre needed to grab her with his other hand as well and start forcibly pulling her towards the hatch and the planet below. The child’s heart dropped to her stomach as she was forced to accept just how serious the ghost was, and she started to struggle furiously to get to her chair and the control panel.  
“Snatcher, I have to go home!” Hat Kid cried, squirming to get free of her contractually obligated friend’s claws.  
“You don’t need whatever is out there, you’re better off here, so stop struggling!” Snatcher hissed, trying to keep his grip on the girl to take her back down to the planet with him.  
Hattie scrabbled at the ground, searching for a hand hold. By some stroke of luck she found one, and used it as an anchoring point to yank herself forward, just enough to get her foot free of Snatcher’s grasp. She then used said foot to kick him in the face as hard as she could. He wasn’t blue so it didn’t hurt him, but it still surprised him enough that his grip slackened. That was all Hattie needed to launch herself towards her control panel, and therefore the button to activate the security systems.  
“NO!” Snatcher shrieked, lunging after her in a panic, arm thrust forward, desperate to just *make her stay*-

Snatcher didn’t know what happened, he really didn’t! One second he was lunging for Hat Kid to stop her from leaving, the next her body had crumpled and he held her wispy purple soul in his hands. On top of that the soul was moving on it’s own, albeit it sluggishly. Stunned, Snatcher bent down and poked at the kid’s body: no response. He checked for a pulse, and found one! It was slow, though, very slow, and no matter what he did, the her body did not move. Confused and terrified that he had somehow killed her, Snatcher was pulled from his internal musings by a faint sound. Turning his attention to the sound, he saw Hat Kid’s soul was somehow looking around and at itself, all the while making little distressed chirping noises. It finally looked up at him and the squeaks turned almost accusatory, as the little eyes of the soul were now narrowed in a glare.  
Was… was the kid fully in her soul, consciousness and all? But, he had never done anything like that before! This was terrible! This was confusing! This was- this was…  
“No, no this is better, right?” Snatcher mumbled, and HK gave him a confused look, even with only eyes. “This is better! Now- now you’ll never age, or get hurt, or sick, or anything!” Snatcher was grinning by this point, chuckling in a manner that sent chills up Hat Soul’s non-existent spine. “This way you’ll- you’ll never die! You’ll never die, you *can’t* die, and you’ll never have to leave! You can stay in the forest forever- I’ll protect you, and I won’t be alone ever again!” Snatcher was now laughing, eyes wide and one hand clutching at his head, his grin nearly splitting his face, but it no longer had that devious feel to it. No, this smile, was the smile of a man who had finally lost it, who had been alone for far too long. Hat Soul couldn’t help but shrink back from the shadow as he cackled madly. When Snatcher finally brought himself out of his laughing fit, his grin never wavering, he spoke as he exited the space craft. “Come on, kid! Let’s go home!”

Hat Soul trembled.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! So, uh, I know this is kinda short, but I wanted to start somehow! This is my first posted work so if you could leave feed back I would appreciate it, especially concerning tags because I have zero Idea how to tag this. Thank you for reading!


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